Brucella abortus bv. 1 str. 9-941

The genus Brucella is comprised mostly of mammalian pathogens, which due to their low infectious does, aerosol transmission and treatment difficulty are classified as potential bioterrorism agents. Brucellosis is a major infectious disease for both human and animals. Several Brucella species (B.abortus, B.melitensis and B.suis) have been isolated from many different animals. All three Brucella species cause a severe human disease characterized in its acute phase by undulant fever and in its chronic phase by damage of different organs. Brucellosis is a major problem in the Mediterranean region and parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America. When the infection is localized to the brain or the heart, it can result in a fatal meningitidis or fatal endocarditis, respectively. Brucella abortus (strain 2308) is virulent for humans, cattle and certain other domestic animals. Its genome consists of 2 chromosomes. Despite the high conservation of the genomic backbone shared by the three Brucella species, several important species-specific differences exist. A total of 207 pseudogenes were identified in B.abortus (strain 2308). Sixteen pseudogenes are common to the three species, among which 9 were generated by the same event. Although Brucellae contain a large set of flagellar genes, they display a species-specific gene inactivation and consequently are nonmotile. The inactive genes contain either single point mutations or small deletions and are essential for the activity or the assembly of the flagellum or are key structural proteins of this organelle. The three Brucella species harbor a complete and functional type IV secretion system. (EBI Integr8)